Blues Guitarist. He played with a ringing electric twangy style, a traditionalist, who was a member of the Texas country blues movement of the late '40s and early '50s, along with his cousin Lightnin' Hopkins, Lil' Son Jackson, and Smokey Hogg. He began playing guitar when he was 12, after he moved to Texas. He played local dances and clubs around Dallas and crossed paths with T-Bone Walker. He cut his first 78 for Herb Rippa's Blue Bonnet Records in 1948 in Dallas, but didn't taste anything resembling regional success until 1953, when his bouncy "Lucy Mae Blues" did well. Sims recorded fairly prolifically for Specialty into 1954, then switched to Johnny Vincent's Ace label in 1957 to cut "Walking with Frankie" and "She Likes to Boogie Real Low," both of which showcased his personal sound. Sims claimed to play guitar on King Curtis's 1962 instrumental hit "Soul Twist" for Bobby Robinson, but that was never proven. He died at age 53 of pneumonia.
Blues Guitarist. He played with a ringing electric twangy style, a traditionalist, who was a member of the Texas country blues movement of the late '40s and early '50s, along with his cousin Lightnin' Hopkins, Lil' Son Jackson, and Smokey Hogg. He began playing guitar when he was 12, after he moved to Texas. He played local dances and clubs around Dallas and crossed paths with T-Bone Walker. He cut his first 78 for Herb Rippa's Blue Bonnet Records in 1948 in Dallas, but didn't taste anything resembling regional success until 1953, when his bouncy "Lucy Mae Blues" did well. Sims recorded fairly prolifically for Specialty into 1954, then switched to Johnny Vincent's Ace label in 1957 to cut "Walking with Frankie" and "She Likes to Boogie Real Low," both of which showcased his personal sound. Sims claimed to play guitar on King Curtis's 1962 instrumental hit "Soul Twist" for Bobby Robinson, but that was never proven. He died at age 53 of pneumonia.
Bio by: Elizabeth Reed
Gravesite Details
Headstone placed by the Killer Blues Headstone Project
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